TAO Self-help

Title:Soft Skills: What are they and Why do you need them?

Author:Barbara Adams, CPRW, CEIP, MFRW, MMRW, MFCA-T and Lee Kelley

Date:June 2018

Source:www.militaryresumewriters.com and www.careerproplus.com

You've surely heard the term before and you probably have some idea of what "soft skills" are. Over the past few years, people-oriented soft skills have been a hot topic in the HR community. To be more precise, HR folks talk a lot about the difficulty of finding candidates that possess soft skills along with the requisite "hard" technical knowledge that they need to succeed.

Let's give the phrase a solid definition. Soft skills fall into six specific categories:

  • Communications — active listening skills, and the ability to speak and to write with an emphasis on conveying ideas and opinions in a clear, professional, and polite manner.
  • Decision-making and problem-solving — the ability to analyze and make a determination. This category also includes creativity, abstract thinking, and the ability to learn from experience (and from mistakes).
  • Self-management — the initiative required for effective work. Self-management skills include efficiency, a sense of urgency, the ability to adapt, working well under pressure and deadlines, and the ethical standards that govern personal behavior and interactions with others.
  • Teamwork — the ability to work and play well with others. Teamwork strengths include responsibility, accountability, and the ability to share ideas in a way that is positive and encouraging.
  • Professionalism — the characteristics that govern the quality of relationships with customers, peers, and managers. Attributes of professionalism also include the ability to accept direction and the sensitivity demonstrated in difficult business or personal situations.
  • Leadership — capability to see the big picture and to manage change. Leadership traits include the willingness both to lead and to follow and the ability to motivate others.

When building your resume the aforementioned soft skills are completely acceptable and I strongly advise your incorporate them throughout your resume to strengthen your value to a potential employer.

Barbara Adams, President and CEO of CareerPro Global (CPG), the parent company of www.careerproplus.com and www.militaryresumewriters.com, has been a member of the careers community for the past 20 years. Ms. Adams holds four prestigious industry certifications. CareerPro Global is the only ISO 9001-2008 Certified Career Service in the industry, as well as one of the fastest-growing Military, Federal, and Civilian Resume-Writing and Careers-Coaching companies. The team of Certified Professional Federal and Military Resume Writers at CPG assist thousands of clients in applying for and gaining employment each year. We can help you land your military to civilian job.

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